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Long Term Storage Of High Voltage Battery

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by hep1966, Apr 30, 2012.

  1. hep1966

    hep1966 Junior Member

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    I have an opportunity to get a high voltage battery from a salvage Prius. I don't need a replacement now but thought having an extra battery would be a good idea. How long can the battery be stored? Maybe switch them out every few months to keep both charged?
     
  2. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    You could get a charger/rebalancer (I have a Supermate DC6) and do a recharge of each of the 28 modules every few months to keep it charged to 80% SOC. Seilerts says not to store the battery at 100% as that can cause it to overheat. Remember to rebalance all the modules before installing the replacement battery.

    JeffD
     
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  3. northwichita

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    ...

    Edit, link with some technical information about storing NiMH batteries.
    Understanding your HEV NiMH battery pack - CleanMPG Forums

    ----
    • Self discharge rate is very high often dwarfing all other competing chemistries. That is why hybrid cars should be powered up at least once every 30-60 days to prevent a full and crippling charge depletion. The SoC indicators ARE NOT a reliable indicator of health when a vehicle is in storage.
      • Requires cell reconditioning if SoC is kept at a steady level for longer periods of time
      What can be done to ensure a longer battery pack life?
      • Cause a deeper discharge periodically to nullify the inherent memory effect. This is automatically done by the governance and battery management systems.
      • Ensure that the amplitude of your regenerations and electric assists are as small as possible.
      • Use some electric assist once in a while. Please remember a static SoC is just as bad as excessive use.
      • Keep your battery pack cool. While there are many things we can do some do not involve hardware modifications at all

      • ----------------------------------------------------------------------end quote .

     
    #3 northwichita, Apr 30, 2012
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2016
  4. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Add 1 amp hour with a charger every 6 months. I would not charge a battery to full under any circumstance if it were not going straight into a car. Or swap out the batteries every 6 months. You may want to swap it right now, since you have no idea if it is any good or not.
     
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